5 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Benjamin & Narelle Kheng

B: When we were kids, it was a very fun time. We used to play a lot with each other. Our childhood was very colourful. There was never a boring moment. Our parents, especially our mum, always enabled us to play. Exploring and playing was a very big thing. So we would get out and do stuff.
N: We invented a lot of games together.
B: (Laughs) Yeah. And those games would always end with Narelle biting me just to win. We’ll argue. I’ll make a super good point, and she’d bite my shoulder, then it’s game over.
N: No! He’s like that kind of older brother where he’ll say something and I’d be like, “You want to bet?” And he’d go, “Yeah, okay.” So, let’s say, I bet on A and he bets on B. Then when the answer is A, I’m like, “I won!” And he’d be like, “No, but you bet on B.”
B: (Guffaws)
N: I’d go, “But I won.” He’d be like, “No, you didn’t.”
B: It’s called emotional abuse (laughs).
N: You know, the older brother thing where they’re so mean that you can’t do anything except bite them?
B: So she bites my shoulder then she wins lor. There’s no comeback to that shoulder bite.
N: But I Had. Already. Won.

B: I just remember [Narelle] being there [for me], especially when mum passed on. At that time, we just moved into our new house and we didn’t have much. But we had one VCD of the animated cartoon Sinbad. For a week, we just watched it every single day ’cos we were trying to fight loneliness. So it’d just be the two of us in the house, and one person will either make Maggie mee or microwave pizza, then we’ll just watch Sinbad over and over. We just spent the whole week with each other. And that really helped to remind me that there was still family to come home to.
N: Ben’s always been looking out for me. The first time I realised that was in sports school. He was in Year 4 and I was in Year 1. So we only had six months in school together. We weren’t super close then. But when I went in, I thought that we would interact more. But we didn’t at all, even though we both lived in school. One day, I was so pissed, I went to him and asked why he didn’t care about me or talk to me. And he went, “Dude, I didn’t talk to you ’cos I’m leaving in two months. I didn’t want you to get hooked onto me and then I leave you.” Also, there were some rumours about me going around in school and people told me that Ben would just scream at them for talking s*** about me.

N: Back when I first started dating, there were some guys he disapproved of and ’cos we weren’t super close then, his way of showing it would be to roll his eyes at me (laughs).
B: There was this one guy that she was dating. And I remember I was like, okay, the next guy that she brings home, I’m going to give him the blackest face in the world ’cos I was sick of being the nice brother or investing in all these guys, and they either screw up or something happens, and the relationship ends. So, one day she brought this guy home. I was on my Xbox just getting ready to give it to him. And this guy walks up and he was so earnest. He was like, “Hey, man! What’s going on?” and trying to be super bro with me. And I literally gave him a black look (laughs).
N: I was like, “Hey, Ben, this is so-and-so.” And he went, “Is that your new squeeze?”
B: (Claps his hands and laughs loudly in amusement)
N: And now, they’re really tight. (Laughs)
B: After they left, I was like, “Oh God, what an a******.” I felt so bad. I really couldn’t live with myself. I was so upset the whole day. I just went to bed and like, (Mock cries) “What did I do? I’m not worthy of being the older brother.” (Laughs)

N: I don’t think I’ve really had an issue with any of [Ben’s] girlfriends.
B: For the most part, I date [girls based on] whether or not they’ll be good friends with Narelle. I’m very caring that way. And I’ve mostly gotten it right. (Laughs)
N: I get along very well with them.
B: You know how they say you end up marrying [someone like] your mother? In the sense that you’re inclined to date people who’re like your family. She’s my only sister. And for the longest time, I was in a boys’ school. She was pretty much the only female companion in my life [growing up]. So I think everyone I’ve dated has a shade of who Narelle is. So I guess that’s why they always get along.
N: Damn freaking irritating! Then stop breaking up, okay?! (Laughs)

N: I’ve been on [Tinder]. But I’ve never actually done anything on it. (Laughs) I was swiping just for fun.
B: I had 15 minutes on Tinder once when I was single. I logged on and swiped right for someone. And then she messaged me, “Oh my God, are you Ben Kheng?” And I deleted my account ’cos I realised that people will know who I am.
N: People can be really annoying. I used Tinder once overseas and I forgot to delete the app when I came back. And tons of people were messaging me to say, “You shouldn’t be on this app” or “What are you doing on Tinder?” And I’m like, “What the [expletive]? If I want to be on Tinder, I can be on Tinder, okay?”